For the second time in three weeks, the Tennessee Titans will face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars when the two teams meet Sunday in Nashville.
The Jaguars (4-7), squandered a chance to stay just a game behind the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans in the AFC South with a 31-25 loss to the San Diego Chargers last week. Jacksonville receiver Allen Hurns, the team's second leading receiver, suffered a concussion in the loss, making his availability for this week's game unlikely.
The Titans (2-9), are looking to snap an 11-game home losing streak and hoping to repeat last season's success against the Jaguars in Nashville. Tennessee's last win at Nissan Stadium came Oct. 12, 2014 against Jacksonville.
Here are three keys to the game for both the Jaguars and the Titans.
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1. Finish in the red zone
Once again, Jacksonville's red-zone woes hurt the team last week, as the team managed just one touchdown in four trips inside the 20-yard line against the Chargers. Per the Associated Press, the Jaguars are 30th in the NFL with touchdowns on just 41.7 percent of their trips to red zone. Letting running back T.J. Yeldon touch the ball this week might help. Yeldon went without a carry during Jacksonville's four trips inside the red zone last week. He merits an opportunity to see what he can do.
2. Keep feeding Julius Thomas
Jacksonville's prized free-agent signing in March, Thomas has a breakout game against San Diego, catching a team-high nine passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. That type of performance was exactly what the Jaguars had in mind when they signed the two-time Pro Bowler to a five-year, $46-million contract. With Hurns likely out, Thomas should be a Jacksonville's clear-cut No. 2 receiving option behind receiver Allen Robinson.
3. Focus on derailing Delanie Walker
Walker, Tennessee's leading receiver, is Marcus Mariota's most dependable target. The Jaguars defense had trouble covering another talented tight end in Antonio Gates last week, allowing two touchdowns. They can't allow Walker to have a big game as well, and need to double cover him if necessary Walker is by far the Titans' main receiving threat so if the Jaguars can limit him, it's likely to a major impact on Tennessee's ability to throw the ball.
1. Let Mariota loose
Mariota has yet to put the running skills that helped win him the Heisman Trophy at Oregon on display very often in the NFL, but it may be time. The Titans ran for an unacceptable 44 yards last week, but the rookie can certainly help in the department. Allowing Mariota to pull the ball down and run will add a dimension that should cause issues for Jacksonville's defense.
2. Eliminate fourth-quarter turnovers
The Titans penchant for fourth-quarter turnovers once again played a factor in the loss to the Raiders. Down 24-21 with a 1:21 to play and driving, Mariota threw a game-clinching interception. The Titans, who have blown four fourth-quarter leads this season, have to take better care of the football. Self-inflicted mistakes continue to plague this team.
3. Get the backs involved early
One of the reasons the Titans running game struggled last week was a failure to get the team's running backs involved early. Tennessee had just seven rushing attempts in the first half, with Mike Mularkey admitting afterward the team needed to give running backs Antonio Andrews and David Cobb more touches in the first and second quarters. The Titans haven't had much success on the ground all season, ranking 25th in rushing with an average of 93.2 yard per game. However attempting to at least establish the run early will be necessary to keep the Jacksonville defense honest.
